Totally Unacceptable. Man Shot Over Stale Bread in Pococi

The local bakery where a man shoots at the baker’s son after his wife complained about the stale bread. Photo Reiner Montero, La Nacion

It was in La Rita, Pococi, in the province of Limon, that a woman complained to the local bakery (panaderia in Spanish) of the stale bread she had just bought, when her husband shoots the baker’s son in the arm with an ‘escopeta’ (shotgun) after the store refused to refund her purchase.

As the story goes, on Sunday (August 27) the lady had purchased two loafs of bread for ¢1,000 colones. Minutes later woman comes back to complain. Store employees would not give her a refund.

According Adalberto Vega Alvarado, the brother of the baker, after arguing with employees, the woman left but moments later to return with her husband, who was “very aggressive”.

The woman’s husband immediately began arguing with Rolando Vega, owner of the bakery, when Dennis Kalet, Vega’s son, intervened.

Adalberto continued his narration saying Dennis, in defending his father, got into a shoving match with man, who turned to go to his vehicle to get the shotgun and the fired at Dennis.

The following video is from the store’s security camera of the moment Dennis get shot in the forearm. Warning, the video includes graphic scenes that may be offensive to some viewers.

Dennis was treated at the Guapiles hospital.

“By the way it happened, he came to end their lives, the reason he got the gun. What happened is totally unacceptable. As a neighbor and merchant I am extremely worried. Now they (customers) come to shoot at merchants for something they not happy with. There are other ways to solve it. And we also have to take worry of robberies,” concluded Adalberto Vega.

Sunday night, the OIJ detained the woman. On Monday, the press office of the OIJ, confirmed the arrest and that the woman is being investigated for and may be charged with instigating the violence.

Authorities raid the woman’s home Monday morning looking for the man and the weapon. The local bakery where a man shoots at the baker’s son after his wife complained about the stale bread. Photo Reiner Montero, La Nacion

The woman lives only 800 meters (8 blocks) from the bakery.

With a warrant in hand, authorities raided the home Monday morning, on the belief the man would be there. He wasn’t.

Although the names of the woman or man have been released to the press, the OIJ said they are looking for a 43-year-old man who is believed to be from La Uruca, in San Jose and moved to Pococi in the last several years, where he has been involved in other violent incidents. The last occurring on August 8 where unknown assailants shot at a house where the man was staying.